Uma Bharti demands safety of Ram Sethu in lieu of Sethusamudram Project

Bharatiya Janshakti Party leader Uma Bharti on Monday said that she was not opposed to the Sethusamudram Ship Canal Project, if the government assured the safety of the mythological bridge, Ram Sethu.

Chennai, Aug 20 : Bharatiya Janshakti Party leader Uma Bharti on Monday said that she was not opposed to the Sethusamudram Ship Canal Project, if the government assured the 'safety' of the mythological bridge, "Ram Sethu".

Bharti said: "I am not anti- development. I want Sethusamudram Project."

She, however, sought an assurance that after the project is completed there would be no Tsunami, and that the 'Ram Sethu' would not be destroyed.

"If they give these guarantees, they can continue," she said.

Bharti had earlier gone on a weeklong fast in Ayodhya to protest against the ship canal project linking Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal.

The 560-million dollar Sethusamudram Ship Canal Project will dredge a channel in a narrow strip of sea between India and Sri Lanka, reducing distances and cutting costs for freight traffic.

Hindu groups have called on the government to stop the project, saying it will demolish a bridge linking India and Sri Lanka, believed to have been built by Lord Ram.

According to the Central Government, research has shown that the bridge was a series of sand shoals created by sedimentation.

Dredging for the project began in 2005 and the channel -- 12 metres deep, 300 metres wide and almost 90 km long -- will provide a crucial link between the Palk Bay and the Gulf of Mannar.

When the project is completed, ships sailing between India's western and eastern coasts will no longer have to go around Sri Lanka, and are expected to save up to 36 hours of sailing time.

The project has also sparked protests by other groups including conservationists and local fishermen, who say the dredging will mean dumping sediment in deeper water further out to sea.

This and increased freight traffic will harm marine life and threaten the livelihood of thousands of fishermen in both countries, opponents say.

ANI